Factors for Success: Academic Library Development Survey Results - Statistical Data Included

Library Trends, Wntr, 2000 by Irene M. Hoffman, Amy Smith, Leslie Dibona

In addition to distribution via listservs, direct mailings of the survey went to the thirty-five members of DORAL (Development Officers in Research & Academic Libraries) and to the 206 academic libraries within the state of California. This latter grouping received the survey as a result of a research grant from CARL.(1) The grant provided an opportunity to analyze a California subset of the national study data to assess trends taking place within California as compared to the rest of the nation (Hoffman, Smith, & DiBona, 1998).(2)

Follow-up mailings of the survey were sent to all DORAL members and California libraries, and reminder messages, with a copy of the survey attached, were posted to each listserv two additional times. We carefully monitored the receipt of all completed surveys to avoid duplication. In all, 157 surveys were completed and returned, representing ninety library development programs nationwide.

THE SURVEY RESULTS

In analyzing the data, we concentrated on three major areas of interest to learn more about the fund-raisers and their library fund-raising programs. We also studied the results to determine a few key factors that lead to success.

WHO IS DOING THE FUND-RAISING?

This area of the survey was designed to gain a better understanding of the types of people involved in library fund-raising, what types of institutions are involved, and what the responsibilities and compensation are for library development directors.

Education

Of the respondents, 54 percent were from graduate and undergraduate institutions, 36 percent from ARL institutions, and 65 percent from public institutions. The majority of individuals responsible for library development were women (71 percent). More than half the respondents--52 percent--were in their first fund-raising job, with an average length of time in the position at zero to three years. Of the respondents, 45 percent were in newly created positions.

The survey showed that, 76 percent of the respondents held a master's degree (52 percent were degrees in library science and 45 percent held degrees in other disciplines). Only 3 percent of the survey respondents indicated any formal education in fund-raising.(3) This implies that, for the most part, fund-raising is something that is learned on the job by the majority of respondents.

These results indicate that the professionals in academic library development are evenly split between professional librarians and professionals with degrees in other areas. Those development directors with library degrees, however, were more likely to have other library responsibilities than their counterparts who did not have the M.L.S. degree. These other responsibilities include public relations (76 percent), grants (52 percent), management (51 percent), strategic planning (48 percent), budget (34 percent), collection development (32 percent), statistical reporting (31 percent), reference (25 percent), and human resources (21 percent).

In the analysis, we compared salary (as of 1998) and educational degree. This cross tabulation illustrated a relatively equal split between those with degrees in librarianship and those with "other" degrees (see Table 1). At the upper end of the compensation range, librarians earn more than "other" degreed professionals do. Those earning $76,000 and above are all librarians, and most of those are library directors who do fund-raising as part of their job responsibilities.